Association of Arterial Stiffness with Functional Disability and Mobility Limitation: The Rugao Longitudinal Ageing Study

Objectives Arterial stiffness is a common issue that may represent an indicator of vascular ageing. We aimed to investigate the association of arterial stiffness with the risk of functional disability and mobility limitation in older adults. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting and Participants A total of 1699 older adults from the Rugao Longitudinal Ageing Study were included and analysed. Measurements Arterial stiffness was assessed by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Functional disability and mobility limitation were evaluated by the activities of daily living and the Timed Up and Go test, respectively. The associations of baPWV and risk of functional disability and mobility limitation were analysed using logistic regression models. Restricted cubic spline regressions were applied to estimate the possible nonlinear relationships between them. Results During the 3.5-year follow-up, 97 (10.00%) and 285 (31.11%) individuals were defined as new-onset functional disability and mobility limitation, respectively. After adjusting for confounding factors, elevated baPWV was significantly associated with a higher risk of incident functional disability (odds ratio [OR] 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.31) and mobility limitation (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.16). Additionally, consistent results were obtained from the stratified analyses of the different subgroups. Multivariable restricted cubic spline regression analysis further demonstrated that a near-linear association occurred between baPWV and the risk of incident functional disability and mobility limitation (P-overall < 0.01, P-nonlinear > 0.05). Conclusion Arterial stiffness, as assessed by baPWV, was associated with the risk of functional disability and mobility limitation in this community-based cohort, and these associations were nearly linear.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the association between arterial stiffness and the risk of functional disability and mobility limitation in older adults. The results showed that arterial stiffness was significantly associated with an increased risk of functional disability and mobility limitation, and the association was nearly linear. These findings suggest that arterial stiffness may serve as an important indicator of declining physical function in older adults.